Archives for October 2008

Not only did the cops catch me answering a 10 second phone call in my car, but the freaking thing is supposed to cost me $135!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! per the note from the court I got in the mail today.

The CA DMV WEBSITE CLAIMS THE FIRST OFFENSE IS $20.

I’m so FIGHTING THIS. This is ridiculous!

Here is the stupid legal record of what occurred. I copied this from my September phone bill:

• Call #13: Friday. 9.5.2008 8:39 am. TJ calls me at the office. 2 minute call. He’s worried he’s not going to get to school on time. It’s his first time home alone. Mom and Dad are at work.

• Call #14: Friday. 9.5.2008 8:41 am. I call his ride, can’t get a hold of her on her cell.

• Call #15: Friday. 9.5.2008 8:42 am. I call TJ and tell him I’m on my way home to get him and take him to school. I get in my car and start to drive home.

• Call #16: Friday. 9.5.2008 8:46am, TJ calls my cell phone to tell me that his ride just arrived and that I don’t need to come. I answered the phone assuming he was still panicked and at the exact time I pass a radar holding motorcycle cop who clocks me in at a whopping 55 in a 65 and gives me a ticket for holding my cell phone in my hand near my face as I passed him by.

Unbelievable.

I want to know what McCain and Obama think about this. I’m voting for whoever thinks this is the dumbest fine in the history of dumb fines. I could have been shaving or changing stations on my ipod instead and both woulda been legal.

Here are his 3 BIG QUESTIONS and the answers Shannon and I have come to for them:

#1. WHAT MAKES YOUR FAMILY UNIQUE?

THE BERRYTRIBE is an interracial family with 5 children. We strive to keep our faith in God in the center of our lives and to spend quality time together. We place a high value on personal responsibility, hard work, and integrity. We are active in our local schools, enjoy camping and day activities together, and intentionally serve Jesus’ church- both locally and globally.

OUR BASIC FAMILY OBJECTIVES:

• stay physically and spiritually healthy.
• continue both Dad’s and the children’s education.
• keep our finances in a place where they serve us in stead of us serving them.
• take the necessary steps to keep our marriage healthy and strong.

#2. WHAT IS YOUR FAMILY’S TOP PRIORITY- RALLYING CRY- RIGHT NOW?

THE BERRYTRIBE is focused on Adopting and Assimilating Becky and Billy into our family.

(the book recommends a goal that is 2-3 months long. Ours is more like 4-6 months of stuff, so we broke it down in more manageable chunks. We could have made each one it’s own rallying cry, but we chose this route instead)

DEFINING OBJECTIVES BY THANKSGIVING 2008:

• Define and refine our family budget

• Raise/generate 75% of the funds it will take to accomplish our immediate needs for adoption

• Sell extra items in Garage sale and over e-bay/craigs list.

• Complete our international home study.

• Buy plane tickets.

• Get Becky and Billy registered and ready for entry into the pre-k class at RSD.

DEFINING OBJECTIVES BY JANUARY 7, 2009 (when we plan to leave for Uganda).

• Get Billy and Becky the clothes and supplies they will need in our home.

• Set up the children’s rooms.

1. BECKY: touch up the paint, add her name to the wall, kid friendly decorations.

2. BILLY and JAKE: finish the desk wall unit, redo and organize their closet, fix shade.

3. TJ and TYLER: expand the desk, remove the shelves, organize their closet, get a dresser and a mattress for Tyler, fix the shade.

• Buy Becky and Billy a bike.

• Learn the necessary hygene and specific needs of black children.

• Solidify the plan for our 3 boys while we are in Uganda.

• Complete the raising/generating of funds necessary for our adoption process.

DEFINING OBJECTIVES WHILE IN UGANDA WITH BECKY AND BILLY:

• Bond with them as a family.

• Complete the legal international adoption process.

• Home school them for a smoother entry into the U.S. pre-k class

DEFINING OBJECTIVES BY MARCH 14, 2009

• Plan the twins March birthday party bash.

• Find a solution to Brian’s truck for taking 7 people and a dog camping.

#3. HOW DO YOU TALK ABOUT AND USE THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS?

• We will post them in our kitchen so they are clear and visible

• We will discuss them weekly with our children.

• Brian and Shannon will assess them every Monday morning in our family planning time.

Well, there you have it. Our family process out there for the world to observe. Hopefully it will encourage you to consider a process like this in your marriage and family. I’m hoping and praying that it helps us say yes to the right things and no to the wrong things in the coming months. I’m also praying that it becomes a regular part of our family, re-evaluating our collective “rallying cry” every time an old one is completed and a new one is needed.

Wish us luck… or better yet. Pray Hard.

When I was in junior high, after my sister and I had made it through a good chunk of our schooling, my mom went back to school to get her teaching credential.

Well, 20 something years later, that hard work and dedication was noticed by the public school district she has worked faithfully to influence and improve. She was nominated by her principal as the San Leandro School District’s 2008 teacher of the year last June- which after all the nominations were turned in, was awarded to my mom, Karen Berry. (which my mom tells me was evidently a rarity: you usually are nominated by a teaching peer and usually the award is given to those in the middle or high school level- so this was special all around)

You can read the write up the local paper did after spending a few hours in her classroom here.

In addition, last thursday she was honored in a invitation only Alameda County Teacher of the Year banquet at Cal State in Hayward and she won a grip of gift certificates and such. If I hadn’t been in Nor Cal for the past 2 weekends, I would have tried to find a way to get there.

Perhaps one reason that I care so much about being a Christian influence in spaces where that is not so obvious is because of my mom’s passion to do just that in the San Leandro Unified School District. She has given years of her time and even money to educating and loving on her students and families- often with well over a dozen different native languages spoken in her classroom by her students. She is well known not only as a hard worker and a good teacher, but a woman who lives her life in response to her Christian convictions. It’s truly been a great chance for her to be Jesus to these kids and this recognition was not only a long time coming for my mom, but was also a great opportunity for the Kingdom of God to be given some positive press.

Way to go mom. I’m proud of you!

I have flat screen tv envy.

It doesn’t make much sense because I hardly ever watch tv, so I should really give a hoot.

But, regardless, every time I end up at someone’s house who has one- which seems like everyone these days, I get a little jealous. I heard that the 32″screens (which is evidently about as unimpressive as a vhs player I suppose) are going to go for $350 or so by the time the “holiday” season rolls around. Hmmm.

But anyway, if you have one of these bad mama jama tv thingamajigs with HD signal, well then you should seriously consider waking up to sunrise earth on Discovery HD at 7am. When I was at my parent’s house, we watched it one morning while I ate my breakfast with the boys. It was a sweet start to my day. They just film the sunrise in locations around the planet and give you the nature sounds, no commentary- just an occasional text explanation with a time stamp.

If you love it as much as I did, you could buy it for both of us and we could watch it over and over again too.

• “one day” I want to be a full time youth pastor.
• “one day” let’s get married.
• “one day” we wanted to have a family.
• “one day” we wanted to own a home.

Those are some of my “one day”s that are now in the past.

I used to say, “one day” I’d like to teach for Youth Specialties.

Well, guess what, that day is here. Enter YS ONE DAY.

I said I wasn’t going to post about it any more until I actually saw my face on the official website and today while at a network meeting of other youth pastors, I found out it was up. HA! I had no idea. But it’s up there alright. I’m part of a team that is teaching a “one day” seminar for youth specialties on teaching students the Bible. I’m pretty excited about this material and hoping lots of people are super encouraged and equipped to do minister to teens as a result of it.

I’m teaching in the following 5 locations in 2009:

• Friday, February 27th in Salt Lake City.
• Saturday, February 28th in San Jose.

• Saturday, March 7th in Yorba Linda in the OC

• Saturday, March 21st in NEW YORK CITY, NY- I’m trying to wrestle up some frequent flyer miles to do this one with my wife- only question is how well Billy and Becky might be ready for that transition.

• Saturday, April 25th in Austin Texas- returning to my Methodist Roots to teach here!

If you’re around one of those areas and serve in any capacity with youth and the Bible, I think you’ll dig the material- so bring some friends and stop on by.

• “one day” I think I’ll write a book. From the looks of the team’s bios- I better get on that soon 🙂

Oh.. and one funny note on the bios: they edited mine- which is totally within their right. I wrote it with a sentence of “accomplishments” which included teaching an occasional seminar for YS and the roles and writing I’m doing for another organization. I thought that was kinda funny that it was dropped. Maybe they thought it was a lame attempt at credibility. I dunno. I’m just a husband, dad and a youth pastor. Truth be told, I guess that should be enough.